Name: Tobin
Occupation: Owner and Purveyor of Fine Teas
Business: Mad Hat Tea Co.
Gets around by: Walking and biking
Where do you live and where do you work?
I live on Broadway St and S 4th St and work on Commerce St between S 11th St and S 13th St.
How do you get there?
I only walk or ride my bike to work.
How does it all add up?
Turning the key on the car, you can just hear the money coming out of the bank account. Every time I turn that key, I think how I’m going to have to fill the tank or that I might get a parking ticket. But walking, walking is freedom.
What’s in it for you?
You start the day in a narrow mind frame in your home and you go to work and narrow your focus again inside the walls of your workplace. You need that in between time to broaden your scope, be in your community and see some trees.
You get the opportunity to run into other people, often the same people if you’re in a routine. You see shops opening up for the day and get to be a part of the community.
Do you have any tips for people who may be trying these modes for the first time?
It’s going to hurt at first because it’s a new experience. It might take longer than you thought to walk a mile. But after about a week, you’ll be happier. Look up when you walk; don’t stare down at your feet. And don’t be thwarted by the rain. Dress for the weather and enjoy the fresh air that the cleansing rain brings.